This application claims the benefit of foreign priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7xc2xa7119 to British Patent Application No. 0002458.8, filed Feb. 4, 2000, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to means for breaking up heavily compacted batches of laundry after the water extraction process. Continuous batch washing machines are employed by many commercial laundries to process their workloads. On completion of the washing and rinsing cycles these machines automatically discharge a batch of water laden laundry into a water extraction press which is arranged to apply considerable pressure upon the laundry to squeeze out most of its water content. After the pressing operation the load is automatically discharged from the press in the form of a very compacted circular cake. These cakes of laundry are discharged from the press at intervals of approximately two to four minutes onto a storage conveyor which progresses each load in a series of stop and start movements thereby spacing them along the conveyor run which directs them onward to the further processing stages.
Due to the very compressed structure of these cakes they do need to be broken apart into a condition where they are easier to handle. This operation is usually performed by a rotary tumbler into which the cake is loaded. Most commercial laundries employ conveyor systems which convey the cakes from the water extraction press and automatically feed them directly into heated tumblers, after a pre-set run cycle the broken up work load is discharged from the tumbler into mobile containers or onto conveyors for onward processing. The tumbler into mobile containers or onto conveyors for onward processing. The tumblers will impart some further drying action on the load of laundry, however most work loads will eventually be processed through multi roller ironing equipment which will iron it and also dry out the remaining residual moisture. The rotary action of the tumbler whilst breaking up the compressed cake can cause severe tangling of the separated articles making the handling operations more difficult.
In some laundries the tumblers are manually loaded which requires some effort on the part of the loading operators to partially break up the compressed cake in order to perform the loading operation.
The object of the invention is to provide means which will break up the compressed structure of a cake of laundry after it has been discharged from the water extraction press and convey it onward in an easier to handle condition direct to the feeding and ironing equipment for final processing thereby eliminating the time consuming and more expensive tumbler processing operation.
According to the invention means are provided which will apply powerful forces on the sides of the circular cake of laundry which has the effect of breaking up the compressed layers of fabric due to the forces being directed in the opposite direction to the forces of the water extraction press which originally formed the compacted cake. In order to maintain an uninterrupted throughput flow of laundry it is desirable for the compressed cakes to be broken apart during their conveying operation from the water extraction press and discharged into mobile laundry trucks or onto conveyors for further processing.